Canton-based Electriplast Corp. has entered into the commercialization phase for a plastic bipolar plate that reduces the size of a lead acid battery by more than half. The company is also looking to partner with larger companies in an effort to more quickly expand.

Doug Bathauer, CEO of Washington-based Integral Technologies, the parent company of Electriplast, says conductive plastic (a plastic that one can run a current through) has been around since the 1970s, but it didn't provide much conductivity.

"We manufacture it in a different way than what it historically had been made," says Doug Bathauer. "Our focus is on more of the highly conductive applications."

Bathauer says the company has been in the research and development phase for its conductive plastic that can replace tradition metals.

Now, the company is entering the commercialization phase and is partnering with larger companies. Electriplast Corp. has signed agreements with Delphi Automotive and Lear Corp.'s automotive division to produce a shielded cable as well as a connector for an all-electric car, respectively.

"This is a really large opportunity and a large market base so we've chosen to partner with other companies in order to more quickly expand," Bathauer says.

Moving forward, he says the company is focused on selling the ElectriPlast technology to automotive, transportation, and consumer electrics companies.

Integral Technologies employs eight people in locations across the United States, and has three engineers working at its technical center in Canton.